The Fresh Food Pharmacy is a Produce Prescription Program operated by Grace Health, the Food Bank Council of Michigan, and South Michigan Food Bank. It was started to serve as a pilot program for a new, innovative way to address food insecurity and chronic, diet-related health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. By using a “Food is Medicine” approach, patients can receive a “prescription” of food supplements, nutrition coaching and education, and healthy cooking.
The first pilot of the program launched in March of 2021, and after discovering positive results, a second round of the program officially began in September of 2024. This round of the Fresh Food Pharmacy has been going well. The new pantry model gives participants the opportunity to choose their favorite healthy foods, allowing them to fit their food selections to their own preferences
Logan, our Nutrition and Health Programs Manager who runs the Fresh Food Pharmacy program, says, “The patients are very engaged, and the personal growth is already tremendous. Enrollment is increasing steadily, and we anticipate a very successful program overall.”
In the future, we hope to continue seeing improved health outcomes for our participants following their graduation from the program and would like more programs like ours to continue developing in the future, so that we can support healthier communities and neighbors.
